Honda’s Rich and Diverse History

Love Honda cars?  Honda didn’t always produce automobiles.  When it first started in 1948, the Honda Motor Company, produced motorcycles; in fact, Honda has been the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world since 1959.  To understand Honda’s history, it’s necessary to learn a little about the Japanese automaker’s founder, Soichiro Honda.

In 1906, Soichiro Honda was born during that revolutionary period when the automobile was first hitting the market.  He loved cars from a young age, worked as a mechanic tuning cars and racing them, and taught himself all he needed to know about engineering.  He even developed his own piston design, which he eventually sold to Toyota.  Under his contract with Toyota, he built a factory to construct pistons, but unfortunately this factory was destroyed during an earthquake.

During World War II, a gasoline shortage in Japan inspired Soichiro to attach a small engine to his bicycle.  The popularity of his idea soon led to the establishment of Honda Technical Research Institute in 1946.  The Honda Technical Research Institute produced 2-cycle motorbike engines, and eventually, Honda produced their first motorcycle, the Honda Cub.  In October of 1948, the Honda Motor Company was founded.

The 50’s and 60’s were a success for Honda as it expanded into the US.  In 1959, Honda opened its first store in Los Angeles, California.  Four years later, it introduced the first Honda automobile, the T360 mini pickup truck.  Only a few months later, Honda released its first car: the S500 sports car.  In 1986, with the debut Acura, Honda became the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a luxury brand.

Over the latter half of the twentieth century, Honda has diversified, and now produces a variety of different equipment, from machinery like garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, to aerospace technology.  Honda has also dabbled in artificial intelligence and robotics research since 1986.  At that time, Honda produced the E0, which was able to walk in a straight line on two legs.  In 2000, Honda revealed its ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) robot, a 4-foot tall, 119-pound humanoid robot resembling an astronaut.  The ASIMO is able to walk at a speed of 3.7 mph and can even handle stairs.

Honda has been a leader in automotive technology and, as the fourth largest auto manufacturer in the country, enjoys widespread popularity in the United States.  In 1999, the Japanese automaker released the first hybrid vehicle in the US, the Honda Insight, just months ahead of the Prius.   Since 1984, Honda vehicles have dominated the EPA’s list of top ten most fuel-efficient vehicles.